Comments (37)

"Virtue is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards. It includes chastity and purity. The power to create mortal life is an exalted power God has given His children. He has commanded that this power be used only between a man and a woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife."

This bothers me a bit. Probably because I wasn't given the ability to "create mortal life" and both of my children are because of "broken commandments". I'm going to be very livid if someone ever tells them they aren't as special because they were born to two unmarried people.

I think my two Children's birth moms are very virtuous, even if they did make some mistakes.

The project you mentioned (reading the BoM) is the one suggested project. There are 4 required projects.

The first defines virtue as sexual purity without mentioning the other aspects of virtue, and instructs the girls to read various church materials discussing sexual purity, then write in your journal the blessings of being sexually pure and a commitment to be chaste.

The second says you must be virtuous to have the companionship of the holy ghost, and had you read some scriptures about the holy ghost and write about that in your journal.

The third is the same pattern, only about temple worthiness.

And the fourth is about repentance.

So, nutshell: be sexually pure if you want to have the holy ghost and go to the temple. If you mess up, repent. And read the BoM if you want to.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying chastity is a bad message. I'm just saying let's be honest with ourselves about what "virtue" is intended to mean in the context of the personal progress program. It is absolutely chastity. Virtue is just a nicer, less direct way of saying it.

--

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. -Galileo

That is pretty much how I grew up. But I think we also discussed having clean thoughts and wearing modest clothes, etc. But now that you say it, it does seem like chastity pops into my mind when I hear virtue.

I just feel frustrated that the YM aren't encouraged to be virtuous in a comparable way than the YW are. I mean, why is a woman's virginity/ sexual purity/ virtuousness more valuable than a man's? I read alot about how God delighteth in virtuous women, yet I don't' recall hearing that about men? Just makes me think and wonder why our youth aren't jointly taught comparable lessons regarding virtue. Doesn't seem right IMO